What Grit Sandpapers For Different Jobs????

Sellncars

How do you guys know which sandpaper grit you would need for different type of jobs?

Lets say,,

Your going to redo a kitchen table or any old wood items....What grit to sand down for new stain & varnish?

Sanding down a deck?

New wood?

Old wood?

I think you get what I'm asking...This would be a big help I'm sure for alot of members.

Thank you,
Sellncars

Big Dave

If I have to cut something fairly quick then i start with 80 grit on my ROS then go to 120 for a stain and finish job. Pretty much start with what you want or need to get the job done then work up from there.

Dave.

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AtlanticWBConst

As Big Dave says.
... Basically, we keep all levels of sandpaper on hand at a job or in the shop.
80 grit up to 220 grit.
You customarily use heavier to get the rough areas down and increase your sandpaper count as you bring the wood to the finish YOU want.

So, in a way...there is no 'hard set' Number. You use - according to the finish you want on that material specific to the 'look' you want.

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Mike Finley

I never finish sand an interior wood to be stained past 150 grit. I will use 600 grit between coats.

If you want to try something interesting take a piece of hard wood say a 6 foot long board and sand 1 foot sections of it with progressively finer grits. Start with 60 go down the whole thing, then move over a foot and go down the whole thing with 100, then move over a foot and go down the whole thing with 150, then 220, 400, 600...

Then stain it and take a look at the differences in stain penetration. Much past 120 and you start closing up pours of many woods and create resistance in accepting stain.

MarcM8181

depending on how smooth you really need it is the real question.when i do furniture i start with 80 then move to 100,150,220... you must go up gradually to rid the small scratches from the grit before it. Sure you can go from a 80 grit to a 220 and yes it will be smooth but if you look real close you will see the small sandpaper swirls or scratches, so work your way up. also be careful using dark stain because it really magnifies the scratches. As far as new or old wood, it really doesnt matter, i never start with anything under 80grit unless you really need to do some heavy grinding

Donedat

Fine furnature building, guys (and gals) use scrapers (not paint scrapers). These are pieces of metal with an edge (not The Edge) used in draw scraping wood. Someone here has links to where you can purchase them or you can even make your own.

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